■ Earthquakes
Temblor jolts northeast
A moderate earthquake jolted northeastern Taiwan yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. The 4.7-magnitude quake was centered 10km northeast of Ilan, the weather bureau said. Ilan is 50km southeast of the capital, Taipei.
■ Politics
Campaign launched
A pro-Taiwan independence group based in the US has launched a "one-person, one-call" drive to lobby US congressmen to oppose to a proposed "anti-secession law" by China. The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) gathered in a Presbyterian Church in Falls Church in North Virginia Monday, with He Cheng-shan, head of the FAPA's Washington, branch and reverend Chen Chin-fang (陳清芳) spearheading the movement. Chen noted China's full National People's Congress will meet in Beijing in March to discuss the draft "anti-secession law," and urged all Taiwan compatriots to act in unison to urge US congressmen to oppose the proposed law. If Taiwan expatriates can get the support of 100 US congressmen, the voices opposing the "anti-secession law" will get wider attention, he said. The FAPA, established in 1982 in Los Angeles to promote the establishment of an independent and democratic Taiwan, also plans to protest in front of the Chinese Embassy Saturday.
■ Culture
Chen says spring is coming
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) likened the onset of spring with a thaw in cross-strait relations when he attended a Spring Festival gathering of literary and artistic figures yesterday. The president said that with the concerted efforts of all people, political reconciliation and the easing of cross-strait tensions can be achieved. "Spring is coming," the president said, referring to cross-strait peace and democratic development in Taiwan. Chen made the remarks during his meeting with hundreds of literary and artistic figures at the party, which was sponsored by the National Cultural Association (NCA). The president also presented each participant with a "red envelope," or lucky money, to wish them a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year. Chen said that he has always admired the lives of the literati and artists, saying that the power of culture and arts is unlimited. With no pressure to seek another term, Chen said he hopes to do his best to deliver on the promise he made when he headed the NCA in August 2000 to establish a country based on culture so that Taiwan can become steeped in rich cultural ambience.
■ Society
MOI lists ins and outs
A total of 50,776 people moved here last year, marking an increase of 13,471 from the figure for 2003, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) reported yesterday. Meanwhile, 47,185 local residents moved abroad last year, down 2,375 from the year-earlier level, giving the nation a net population inflow of 3,591 for last year. The ministry tallies also showed that 12,804 people moved out of Taipei City last year, marking the highest figure for any administrative district in the country. Changhua County and Yunlin County placed second and third on the list. A total of 20,210 people moved into Taoyuan County, placing it at the top of that list. Taipei County and Taichung City placed second and third, respectively.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods